


Prime Earth and the Outlaws

by MeinosKaen



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crossover, Family, Gen, Humour, Superheroes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-07
Updated: 2015-01-13
Packaged: 2018-03-06 09:50:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3130163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeinosKaen/pseuds/MeinosKaen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jason, Roy and Koriand'r. The Outlaws have always been content with doing their own thing, leaving the rest of the world to its own problems just like the rest of the world left them to their own devices. But some events are just too big, their effects too widespread and strong. The Outlaws and Prime Earth will meet, and neither will ever be the same for it.</p><p>[Current Arc: Empty Inside] The Outlaws land in Japan to look for their next target. The Kong Zhong Ryu has many secrets, the most prominent on Jason's mind being: who is the mysterious girl sent to kill him?!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I love Red Hood and the Outlaws. I hate what Tynion did with the Untitled saga. I love the Batfamily. But I hate Grant Morrison. I’ve come to love DC Comics in recent years. More than Marvel. But I hate some of the decisions they made.
> 
> I’ll probably elaborate on that further in future notes but the point is: once upon a time, when I liked making crossovers, I took upon myself the gruesome task of putting in a sensate chronological order all the biggest and minor events of Marvel Comics for a story I was writing.
> 
> With Earth and the Outlaws I want to do that… But much more. I want to alter some of the stories so that they fit together and make sense. I want to bring failed or pathetically misused storylines to what they could have been. I want to bring back characters that I love. And I want the Outlaws to be there when I do it.
> 
> It’s not a fix fic. I’m not going to magically fix everything bad that’s ever happened in the New 52. That would be insulting. I just want to tell the tale of Jason, Roy and Kory in a different way and through them, tell the New 52 in a different way.
> 
> Starting from the aftermath of Death in the Family. The change here is simple. Since Damian didn’t die -seriously, screw Grant Morrison and fuck DC for suddenly dumping Robin’s death on their universe with the result of it not making ANY SENSE WHATSOEVER!- Bruce didn’t have another fallout with Jason which didn’t lead to him getting his memory erased… Oh, whatever. I digress.
> 
> Enjoy the prologue.

“Well, if that isn't the biggest smile I’ve ever seen on you.”

“You’ve seen me smile this wide before. Don’t be stupid.”

“Correction. Never seen you smile this widely unwarranted.” Leave it to Roy Harper to start prying. Jason guessed he should have been more mindful. He didn’t wear his emotions on his sleeve, usually. But that day?

“Just because you don’t see the reason it doesn’t mean it’s unwarranted. And that’s all I’m going to educate you about, Harper.” The archer rolled his eyes.

“Seriously, Jaybird. I could use some of that relaxation myself. What’s your secret?” He was half serious. And this dampened Jason’s mood a bit. His solution wouldn’t work for him.

They had come together because they were similar. In the sense that they all had something left over from their past. Weighting them down. Damaged goods, the three of them. But each’s baggage was different. Jason’s was rage. Roy’s was guilt. And Kory...

“I let go. With some help.” So Roy couldn’t let go the same way Jason did… But he had half of the equation around. Of that the Red Hood was sure. “So you’re halfway there yourself.”

“... Truth is? Sometimes, these days, it feels more like three quarters.” Jason groaned.

“You’re not getting all mushy on me.” He stood and slapped the redhead on the shoulder, earning laughter from him. He walked to the still open hold of their ship, and shouted to the sky for the atomic powered redhead of the team. “Princess, now would be a good time to go! Roy is getting affectionate!”

“Oh?” He found out that she hadn’t gone that far. She dropped from where she was floating above their ship, landing behind him. He could feel the heat of her body even through his clothes. “I thought attraction between the same sex wasn’t looked down upon on Earth… Was I wrong?”  
  
“Depends on the nation, Kory. And that was so not what I meant.” Jason groaned, followed by the space princess with the flaming hairdo. The hull closed behind them. Roy was starting the ship’s engine. “Alright… Team.” Still felt a bit strange saying that. “What’s next?”  
  
“After dealing with space empires, a run-in with Superman and this crazy debacle with the Joker? What say we go back to our hunt for immortal beings of unlimited evil?””

“... The Untitled.” Jason’s visage became a mask of seriousness as he remembered the mission left to him, as the last of the All Caste.

The All Caste had been a big part of his training, and of the teachings that guided his life… Or tried to. His anger management problems didn’t exactly make it easy to follow Ducra’s lessons. But still, he never was anything but grateful.

So imagine his anger when he found out that the whole order had been wiped out. And according to his teacher’s ghost it had all been the work of a single Untitled. Unthinkable. “Where to, then, Jason?”  
  
“The Untitled I killed…” The one posing as a cop in Colorado. Before she trust a hand up his body and tried to rip out his liver, Jason had been looking around the office. And now that he thought about it calmly, there had been something familiar. “We’re going to Tokyo.”  
  
“Why Tokyo?”

“Because another snowglobe, Roy.” He remembered it. Just like they had found a snowglobe that led them to colorado, in the cop-titled’s office there was one containing a reproduction of Tokyo. “I believe that our prey is leaving us bread-crumbs.”

“Suppose he wants us to take out the competition for him? These guys are supposed to be at war with each other, right?”

“... Well, we were going after the others eventually.” Jason smirked as Roy rolled his eyes and started the engine of the ship. It didn’t even shake as it rose into the air, as if it was trying to mirror Jason’s current state of mind, or the bond between him and the two redheads.

The Outlaws were back in business.

-R-

The Okinawan islands have for centuries been a melting pot of cultures due to their particular geographical position. Straight smack between the east chinese sea and the pacific, with mainland Japan to the north, Taiwan and the Philippines to the south, mainland asia to the west.

This amalgam of different influences is nowhere more evident than in the various brands of Okinawan martial arts, for those with the eye and expertise for such things. Where a normal person would see no difference between normal Japanese Karate and the Naha-te, an expert would recognize influences from chinese Fujian White Crane.

Among the many schools that grew and prospered on the islands, one is little more than a legend among practitioners. Members of the school have historically acted as Pechin(1) for the Ryukyu Kingdom but its grounds or the name of its grandmasters and teachers was never revealed.

Those in the known simply call the style the Kong Zhong Ryu.(2) But a practitioner hasn’t been seen by the general populace for decades.

“<Again!>” But the school is real, very much so. Hidden deep into the forest of Yanbaru, in the northern part of Okinawa Island, the grounds currently house 30 masters, 100 teachers, 400 students and the Grandmaster.

The Grandmaster usually didn’t take students of his own. And very few among the masters had the honour of meeting him. Like the one currently collecting himself from the ground, holding a bloody broken nose. Gritting his teeth, he obeyed and launched himself at his much younger opponent.

This was the 7th time in a row that the clash happened. The previous six he had been humiliated by his opponent, who wasn’t even old enough to drink. But she was the grandmaster’s favourite, his only personal protege.

The 7th exchange lasted longer than the previous ones but in the end a hit to the man’s solar plexus knocked the wind out of him and sent him sprawling on the ground. The Kong Zhong master cursed. The young woman wasn’t even winded.

“<Enough. This pathetic spectacle has gone on long enough.>” The ancient looking Japanese commanded from his seat. Both fighters turned to him -the loser with more difficulty- and bowed. The grandmaster then dismissed the two with a flick of his right hand, and the two filed out. Once he was alone, the man allowed himself a wicked smile, his eyelids opening to reveal only black. “<What do you think of my student, sister?”>

“<Impressive.>” A figure emerged from the shadows behind his seat, fully draped in a cloak as she stared down at the non human grandmaster. “<This the one you stole?>”  
  
“<Such harsh language. I simply chose to not give her back.>” The grandmaster said, his right hand dancing over the armrest. “<They asked me to train her. Nothing else.>”

“<I doubt such ‘subtleties’ may work on that man. Even if he may be amused by them.>” The monster masquerading as a Japanese chuckled. Yes. He would.

“<What brings you here, sister? Is it a Trial of Blood you seek?>”

“<Oh, no. I’m content with my station and power, thank you very much. I’m here to tell you that Greta -as she liked to go by- has been killed.>” The grandmaster rolled his eyes. Someone had finally- “<Not by one of our siblings.>” … Alright. That was not what he had expected. The grandmaster rose and turned to face his sister. “<You know I keep tabs on all of you. You know I speak the truth.>”

“<The All Caste, then?>”  
  
“<That was my first guess… So imagine my surprise when I discovered they’re all dead.>” The human wearing the visage of a Japanese man let his eyes widen. “<And it happened before Greta.>”

“<... Who else could kill an Immortal? Gre-Ta was the weakest among us, but she was still an Untitled!>” He lost his cool, slamming the tip of his staff against the wooden floor of the dojo. “<Who else could bring demise to one who has drunk from the Well?!”>

“<I don’t know. Humans aren’t exactly powerless anymore, Roshi… But the point is, Greta was doing her best to stay hidden. Sequestered away from the world. Which means that whoever killed her found her because she was looking for her.>”

“<You think this Hunter may come after the remaining six.>”

“<Yes. It may. So, I’d say to use your little army of humans wisely.>” His sister started disappearing, dissolving back in the same shadows she had appeared out of. “<I do so enjoy our talks.>” And with that, she was gone. Her warning delivered, his mood soured.

His little army of humans. Like he needed any to defend himself from a Hunter whose claim to fame was killing the weakest of the Untitled… But, he thought with a smile, it would be a great test for his protege. If she passed this trial as well, she would be complete. The process would be a success.

Which meant he would have the means to take the fight to his siblings. And the world would then kneel before Roshi.

 

**From the Author of ‘No Reading’**

****

**A DCUniverse Fanfic**

 

  1. A caste of the Okinawan Ryukyu Kingdom, equivalent of the Japanese Samurai.

  2. Empty Inside Style



 


	2. Empty Inside - 01

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Outlaws land in Japan to look for their next target. The Kong Zhong Ryu has many secrets, the most prominent on Jason's mind being: who is the mysterious girl sent to kill him?!

****

**Empty Inside - 01**

 

“Hoooooly shit, Jason. Is it my birthday already?" The ex Robin rolled his eyes at Roy's enthusiasm but he had been expecting it. Being the tech wizard he was, there was no way a stroll through Akihabara Genki Dai (1) wouldn't excite him. He suddenly gasped and plastered his face against the window of a shop selling computer parts. "Holy crap! That processor is military grade! It shouldn't-Wait a minute, it's CUSTOM MADE!"

"Such colour... And what peculiar clothes." Starfire instead was more interested in the fact that even she passed mostly unobserved -passing over the traditional Kimono she had insisted on trying on-. Or better, the only thing turning heads was her beauty. For the Otaku(2) capital of the world she was just another cosplayer, no more peculiar than the girls handing out fliers for themed cafes. They had already asked her what character she was cosplaying twice, though.

"Chalk it down to another place we have to visit when we're not looking for trouble." Jason answerer, in civilian clothes just like Roy, who had caught up with them-Jason blinked. "How did you buy all that stuff in so little time?"

"I came in already knowing what I wanted, Jay." The archer replied, the concealed quiver on his back joined by a Love Live themed rucksack. "Speaking of which, we're just walking around hoping to run into an Untitled or...?"

"A symbol, actually." Jason explained as they continued along the main street, inbetween the towering buildings. “The snowglobe showed a miniature of this street of Akihabara, but nothing else. And if this Untitled is anything like the other one, he’ll be hiding in plain sight.”

“Still, hiding. So?” Kory sidestepped a pretty transfixed man with a labcoat and a 5 o’clock shadow.  
  
“So…” Jason opened his jacket and showed his friends a piece of paper with a drawn symbol. It looked like an inverted pyramid, stretched vertically. “We look for something that looks like this.”  
  
“What is that? Fenician?” Roy rubbed his chin.

“The Persian Cuneiform for the number one. The Untitled’s favourite language, according to my teachers. They use it to mark their territory… And to show their power.” Jason put the piece of paper back into his jacket. “The less triangles make up the symbol, the more powerful the Untitled… Or so it goes.”

“Huu, so if I saw a symbol with four triangles would that make it the fourth strongest Untitled?” Kory and Jason turned in the direction Roy was currently looking. They found themselves staring at one of the aforementioned themed cafes. “... Kind of a strange location for an Untitled.”

“Yes… It is.” Jason had never entered one of those places, not really seeing the attractive in them. There was a first time for everything, he guessed. Just like looking for a force of pure evil in the ‘Nekohanten mk4’. “... Worth a shot.”

-R-

“<Your Neko Parfait deluxe, master! Nyaa~>”

“Please stop doing that. <Thank you very much.>”

“<Hehehe! Master praised me! Nyaa!>” Roy snorted out in laughter, suffocating it by plastering his face against his arm. Jason just reddened as he passed the parfait to Starfire and the catgirl maid waitress went away.

“Couldn’t you have gotten it for her? You know Japanese.” Jason asked Roy, giving him the stinky eye.

“Don’t-snort-know the word for parfait!-snigger-”

“It’s **parfait**.”  
  
“Oh, really?”

“Hmm! This food is delicious!”

“Come on, Jason. Kory loves it, I’m increasing my lung capacity and you have a cute servant, now.” The Red Hood decided to not dignify his friend with an answer and instead tried to focus on his surroundings. Trying to find anything that wasn’t perfectly normal in a cat-maid themed cafe.

Was the symbol on the sign just a case? Maybe there was another place on the street that had it? But it was so peculiar and unknown that even one occurrence… No. There had to be something more.

_‘Come on, Todd. Clear your head.’_ He picked up the menu, trying to relax by reading the themed names of the various-His eyes stopped two thirds of the way down. In the part about drinks. "... Kong Zhong Soda?"

-Flashback-

"Huh, Bruce? I think this file's corrupted." A young Jason dressed in Robin garb said as he studied files about martial art styles on the cave's main terminal. He was currently reading a file about a school called Kong Zhong Ryu. But the file was almost devoid of information. “This Kong Zhong thing is almost empty!”

“It’s not corrupted. It’s a legend.” The Batman explained as he stood behind his protege. “The Kong Zhong school is a style born in Okinawa, but it never left those islands. And even there little more than the name and the memory of some Pechin who were said to be members remains.”

“Oh.” Jason said, biting on his lower lip. That was a first. “I guess there are things than even Batman wouldn’t know, huh?”

“I can’t collect information that doesn’t exist, Jason. Or…” The Batman continued, placing a hand on Jason’s shoulders. “If this school exist, it must have worked about covering its tracks since its birth. A few centuries before I existed.”

“Never stopped you before. League of Assassins, remember?”

“The difference is that the League of Assassins operates all over the world to this day. The Kong Zhong seems to have just… Disappeared.” Bruce continued, and the second Robin narrowed his eyes at the screen. “All that’s left are legend about their prowess. And deadliness.”

-Present-

‘A style that was said to damage or destroy internal organs… Of course!’ At the time Jason had thought it just a legend, silliness. Too much Fist of the North Star. But now that he knew about the Untitled… It made sense. “<Huh, waitress?>”

“<Yes, Master? Nyaa~>” Shudder.

“<Could I have a Kong Zhong Soda?>” The waitress tilted her head to the side, her eyes rolling to stare at the ceiling with a thoughtful ‘Hmmm.’

“<I don’t know, master. That’s a special drink, nyaa~… I’ll ask.>” With a little bow and a skip the waitress disappeared to the kitchen. Jason had a feeling that he was on the right track.

“Found something?” Roy asked, and Jason smirked.

“Maybe. Let’s see what the cat drags in.” The redhead snorted at Jason’s humour, and his eyes became interested. After a few minutes, the teen came back not with a drink but an envelope.

“<Sorry master, but we’re out of ingredients for that drink. Please accepts this as an amend.>” The girl said, presenting the manila envelope to Jason with a smile and a bow before retreating again. Jason opened the envelope almost immediately. It contained a single rectangular business card. Except the only information on it…

“A time and a place, lady and gentleman.” He said, turning the card around to show the two. Meiji Shrine, 2 AM. "What do you think? They say it's a must do visit when you're in Tokyo."

-R-

"So they built this thing to commemorate their rulers?"

"Twice, Kory. The first version was destroyed during World War II." Arsenal explained as the trio found themselves, fully suited up, at the entrance of the shrine proper, in the middle of the colossal garden. "The second time it was built by pooling together money from Japanese citizens."

"Oh. These rulers must have been really beloved." The nuclear powered princess commented, her hand brushing gently against the trees surrounding the construction. "Where they great warriors, maybe?"

"Eeeh, not really. They were symbolic in bringing Japan out of the Warring States Era for good, actually. And the empress was the first one to ever take an interest in public affairs.(3)" Roy explained, his back leaning against the tree bark. "I guess that after a couple centuries of that plus isolation from the entire world the Japanese were tired."

"Hmmm... There's value in a peaceful ruler as well." Kory commented, her hands catching a leaf as the night breeze removed them from the trees. "Still, a sanctuary dedicated to warrior rulers would have been... I believe the expression is 'cooler'?"

"Yeah, that's it... And speaking of cool, aren't you cold up there?!" Roy shouted at Jason, who was sitting on top of the shrine’s entrance. "Do you at least see anything?!"

"If I could have they've probably hidden themselves, now!" The Red Hood shouted back before dropping to the ground. "Nothing, anyway."

"That's weird." Roy brought his right wrist to the front. He didn't have the best of internal clocks but he had the feeling it was midnight and then so-A figure in the foliage right above him. "Sonuva-!"

He reacted on instinct, rolling to the left and his hands going automatically to his flexible bow, which sprung to full size, an arrow already cocked the moment he turned around. The potential target was already gone. Roy heard it land somewhere to his left.

“I couldn’t see nor hear these guys from afar… That’s weird.” Roy heard Jason say from behind his back as the three started backing away from the trees, as about a dozen black clad individuals left the canopy and created a circle around the Outlaws. “And they’re not friendly, huh?”  
  
“Which makes you wonder why they didn’t just slit our throats. Laundry day?” Roy joked as he felt his back connect with his friends’s.

“Maybe their trick doesn’t work from up close… Or they can’t kill their enemy without knowing who it is, first.” Kory said, her fiery mane flaring up. That made sense. Whoever these guys were, secret Okinawan ninjas or not, they probably had zilk of intel on them. They were being cautious…

“<Who is the Hunter?>” Or they wanted to ask a very specific question. Not one of the trio answered the question coming from what looked like the leader. He was the tallest and beefiest, that was clear. Anyway, the guy’s eyes narrowed. The only place not shrouded in their cloths. Except the hands. Those were clear too. “<Who among you has killed an Untitled?>”

Ah. That he understood. Even with the awful engrish pronunciation of 'Untitled'. He felt Jason shift behind him. Bingo.

"<Who wants to know?>" So cliche! Roy would have gone with something cooler. The big Ninja guy just observed their fearless leader for a few instants before… Stepping to the side.

“<Our Grandmaster decrees that you are to die, Hunter. For the sin of killing one of his family.>” And as the beefy guy stepped to the side, a shorty from the circle stepped in his place. Roy felt his eyes widen behind his mask. She was a woman… A pretty young one, too. Not taller than 5’5’’. She stepped forward, stopping halfway between her companions and them. “<And he has sent his greatest pupil as your executioner.>”

“<... You’re kidding me, right?”> Jason comments, but Roy recognizes from Jay’s tone that he’s the one kidding the others. It was untitled number 4, right? If he was the grandmaster of his school he must have had it for centuries. And greatest student in centuries of school? If true, that was a pretty big boast.

-R-

"<Don't know what you've heard about me, but I don't fight kids.>" Jason said as he stepped forward, mimicking his supposed opponent's pose. Standing straight, arms to the side. Staring her down... But not intimidating her in the slightest.

"<You'd dare disrespect the grandmaster by refusing his challenge?!>" The big guy shouted at him but Jason was focused on the girl's eyes. They looked... Amused. She was enjoying the situation. But he did not see any malice. Like she wasn't about to fight him to kill him.

"<... Not what I said.>" Jason answered, and decided to humour their audience. If she was really their best fighter, that'd give him a hint about the opposition they would face if they went for the school itself. He would fight...

And as soon as he thought about it, the girl placed her right hand balled in a fist placed against her left palm in front of her chest, and bowed to him. He paused, honestly surprised. 'She's saluting before the fight?'

Jason stared, the girl's right eyebrow raising, confused. She didn't understand why he hadn't reciprocated the gesture... He did, using her same pose. The confusion disappeared and she dropped into a guard stance, her eyes showing enjoyment again. 'Juijitsu? No, the legs are...' An unfamiliar style... Was this Kong Zhong?

"Hey, Jason, are you really... I mean, she's pretty young."

"Stuff it, Roy." But still, things out of place or not, he could tell that her body was trained and that she showed no gaps in her stance. "This is no normal kid." He got into his own stance as well, and began moving to the right, in a circle. She mimicked, moving in the same direction.

_‘Her footwork is solid, as well..._ ’ Jason stopped once they had shifted 90 degrees from their starting position. She wasn’t making any move to attack him. He made a quick step forward. She didn’t even twitch. He repeated the motion, this time getting into her range. She didn’t move. _‘... Alright, then.’_

He punched with his right arm. She slapped it away with her right hand and returned to a guard position, not following up. He attacked again with the same move, and again she reacted the same way. From what he could see of her face… She was smiling. _‘Is this a game to her?’_ Jason frowned behind his helmet. Okay, he would start playing hard, then. He took a step back, and this time he saw her body shift, preparing for him.

She slapped to the side his first three trusts but couldn’t do the same for his attempt at kneeing her in the right side. That she blocked with her right leg and hands and then pushed back, planting the parrying leg on the ground as she trust her left palm towards Jason’s face.

Just as his left leg landed on the ground again he slapped her left arm upwards, and caught her right fist with his left hand, squeezing it. _‘She’s decent. Let’s up the ante.’_ He grabbed onto her left shoulder before she could react and threw him to his right with all his strength. Her eyes widened as he did. She was surprised.

Her buddies dove out of the way as she passed through the air. She twisted and landed on her hands and feet, skidding on the marble floor. He ran after the girl and was in front of her before she recovered. She was fast enough to dodge the ground stomp.

She rolled to the side and tried a sweep kick but Jason jumped and landed in a crouch, finding himself at her same height. Again, her eyes expressed only merriment. _‘Is she a psycho?’_ It didn’t feel like that. Jason knew psychos. She didn’t strike him as one.

He threw himself at her and she met him halfway. Weird, he thought as their fingers interconnected with each other. He was clearly stronger than her, why would she… _‘Oh.’_ As she leaned back and found her feet planted against his chest he understood.

She threw him high and behind her, up into the air and she started flipping and somersaulting in his direction. He twisted in the air, planning to land with a full recovery. ‘If she’ll let me land.’ He doubted it would be that simple, as she saw her jump in his direction, preparing for a kick. _‘Crap…!’_

He acted on instinct, grabbing on his jacket and wrapping it around her leg just as it came into range. The kick still hit Jason but he came away from it without a broken sternum. His wind was still knocked out of him, but her fall was more ruinous. He let go of the jacket and put distance between him and his opponent. 'She did what I did... In her own way.'

As she recovered, he found her shawl had fallen off after the exchange. Black hair, asian features and skin, and a big smile plastered on her face. She stood again, and motioned at him with her right hand in a 'come hither' way. _'Okay, that does it. She-'_ Before he could finish that thought a bright red flash bathed both their bodies and made them turn in the direction of their audience. _'Crap. Kory.'_

-A few seconds before-

"Okay. That girl is very good."

"She is?" Kory asked as she observed the fight between the two. She had been on Earth for years, now, and had seen many of its denizens fight with their 'martial arts'. And while she understood athleticism she didn't have enough experience in the arts to identify a person's prowess in them just by glancing.

What she could understand was when groups positioned themselves to prepare for an ambush. Or the glances their blackclad opponents were giving each other. "Hmmm, Roy? Would you mind crouching for me?"

"Aw. I wanted to enjoy the fight a little more." The redhead whined but he complied, lowering himself as Starfire's eyes flashed green.

"Thanks." She whipped her head in a circle, her hair blazing as she swung. Two death cries echoed as two of their attackers incinerated on the spot. The group started to scatter, so she took to the sky as Roy started firing his arrows. Crippling or injuring his targets, stunning them for the time she needed to aim and turn them to cinders. “So much for their secret kung fu.”

“Did you just crack a pop culture joke, Kory?!” Roy laughed with merriment as he sent his arrows flying. In seconds they had already taken out eight of the group of sixteen.

“Heyheyhey! Tone it down a tad, will you?! We need at least one of them alive!” As she looked down she saw Jason approach them in a sprint. What about his opponent? Kory looked behind him and she saw her standing straight, looking upwards at Kory… Puffing her cheeks at her with a frown?

“<The Hunter’s companion… She’s a demon! We have to warn the grandmaster!>” She was soon reached by her surviving companions and they disappeared into the foliage and away from the battle, with an arrow barely missing the last one. And she didn’t feel like burning the entire garden to flush them out. Such a waste.

“Oh, that’s just great.” Jason groaned as she landed again.

“What’s the problem? We know they’re from that group you said and that they’re based in Okinawa… We’ll just follow them there. The islands are not that big.” Roy said, only earning a sigh from Jason as he removed his helmet. “And we were pretty much wiping the floor with them, weren’t we?”

“I doubt it’s going to be that simple, and now that they know what we’re capable of doing they’ll prepare. No more duels slash ambushes. We needed info on their forces…” Jason declared, moving a hand through his black hair, his gaze slowly lowering to the ground. “... Also…”

“Is this about that girl?” Jason nodded. “What about her?”

“... She didn’t realize where she was or what she was doing. Not exactly. She knew she was fighting, but…” Jason stared at the ground a few seconds more before raising his head again. “I wanted to ask them why that girl was treating a fight to the death like it was a sparring match.”

 

  1. \- literally ‘Electric Town of Akihabara’.

  2. \- usually used as a pejorative to refer to a particularly dedicated fan.

  3. \- Empress Shoken, emperor’s Meiji spouse, also worked for the establishment of the Japanese Red Cross, among other things.



 


End file.
